Merenna

Hi. I'm Merenna. I'm a second year Theology student based in London, but my heart is in India and I'll probably move there as a missionary in the next 8 years. My passion in life is Jesus and I can't get enough of Him! My other loves are cheese, inspiring quotes, baking cakes, the liberation of women (esp within the sex industry and in doctrine), people, exploring places, learning little facts, worship, laughing and coffee shops. This space is mainly for things to do with God/Christian life that I've found and liked or little revelations that I've had, so I can keep it all in one place. Whilst I do study Theology, I am by no means a 'Theologian', so by all means ask me a question but please don't be sad if I don't give a very polished answer! I tend to update this page a lot more when I have university work due in....

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What happened to radical Christianity, the un-nice brand that turned the world upside down? What happened to the category-smashing, life-threatening, anti-institutional Gospel that spread thru the first century like wildfire and was considered dangerous by those in power? What happened to the kind of Christians whose hearts were on fire, who had no fear, who spoke the truth no matter what the consequence, who made the world uncomfortable, who were willing to follow jesus wherever he went? I'm ready for a Christianity that 'ruins' my life, that captures my heart and makes me uncomfortable. I want to be filled with an astonishment which is so captivating that i'm considered wild and unpredictable and, well, dangerous. Yes, i want to be dangerous to dull and boring religion. I want a faith that is considered 'dangerous' by our predictable and monotonous culture

Robert Capon

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The insistence on the absolutely indiscriminate nature of compassion within the Kingdom is the dominant perspective of almost all of Jesus' teaching. What is indiscriminate compassion? Take a look at a rose. Is it possible for the rose to say "I'll offer my fragrance to good people and withhold it from bad people"? Or can you imagine a lamp that withholds its rays from a wicked person who seeks to walk in its light? It could do that only by ceasing to be a lamp. And observe how helplessly and indiscriminately a tree gives its shade to everyone, good and bad, young an old, high and low; to animals and humans and every living creature - even the one who seeks to cut it down. This is the first quality of compassion - it's indiscriminate character

Brennan Manning, Abba's Child

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Take my life, and let it be Consecrated, Lord, to Thee; Take my moments and my days, Let them flow in ceaseless praise. Let them flow in ceaseless praise. Take my hands, and let them move At the impulse of Thy love; Take my feet, and let them be Swift and beautiful for Thee. Swift and beautiful for Thee. Take my voice, and let me sing Always, only, for my King; Take my lips, and let them be Filled with messages from Thee. Filled with messages from Thee. Take my silver and my gold: Not a mite would I withhold; Take my intellect, and use Ev'ry pow'r as Thou shalt choose. Ev'ry pow'r as Thou shalt choose. Take my will, and make it Thine, It shall be no longer mine; Take my heart, it is Thine own, It shall be Thy royal throne. It shall be Thy royal throne. Take my love, my Lord, I pour At Thy feet its treasure store; Take myself, and I will be, Ever, only, all for Thee. Ever, only, all for Thee.

'Take my life and let it be', Frances R. Havergal 1874

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When you know who you are, your outer circumstances don’t intimidate your inner conviction

T.D Jakes

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“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

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  Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders Let me walk upon the waters Wherever You would call me Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander And my faith will be made stronger In the presence of my Saviour

    This song has had me absolutely floored these last few weeks

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We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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Evangelism without intercession is like an explosive without a detonator and intercession without evangelism is like a detonator without an explosive

Reinhard Bonnke

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I cannot see God’s greater plan when living in a hurry But if stop to think and pray I see my needless worry

Rick Warren

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You will never know the fullness of Christ until you know the emptiness of everything but Christ.

Charles Spurgeon

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Through and Through - Will Reagan

I find that I'm safe and warm in your loving arms

You see me and you know me

and you love me through and through

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Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.

Leo Tolstoy

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Blessed are those who dream of nothing, for that is what they will achieve

Carole, a crazy Canadian woman who used to visit my old youth group once a year when I was growing up. This statement of hers changed me forever

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I have decided to follow Jesus - Story behind the song

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As far as I know, this song is a Sunday School classic in America and some of the UK, but I'd never heard it myself until last year when I was at a missions school. It really touched my heart and I now listen to it all the time as it's such a simple but potent message; it refreshes me and my perspective. This morning I was looking into the origins of it (I like knowing the meanings of names and things like that) and I was so moved to find out that not only does it come from India but it instigated the revival and salvation of an entire village! This story is extra-special to me as it was missionaries from the Welsh revival that shared the gospel with this Indian family in the first place; an amazing link between Britain and India and revival. I was going to write the story of it out, but I just found this guy on youtube and I think he sums it up nicely. Enjoy.

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If you don’t know how to proclaim your need of the Gospel, you’re probably going to be lousy at proclaiming the Gospel into someone’s need

Jeff Vanderstelt

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Really enjoying this song at the moment. Extravagant, intimate worship lyrics without sounding like most generic worship songs. Also, check out the definition of the word 'Maranatha', it's sick.

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Return for me

I let you wash my feet, now let me make you King

As I crown you in glory

Engrave your name upon my heart; it was always yours 

Come and run into me

Because in your chest is where I want to be

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“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 19:30 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+19&version=NIV

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Obligatory Easter blog - Being Barabbas

Good Friday again. Yes, it’s that day again when our Twitter timelines get cluttered with lyrics from Phil Wickham’s ‘True Love’, as well as musings that read along the lines of ‘2000 years ago my best friend died for me’ (if you’re reading this and you’re not a Christian; I pretty much feel the same as you about these tweets, just so you know. If you are a Christian reading this; I’m not attacking you, but how about writing something different this year?). I personally enjoy remembering the brutal, incomparable, magnificent, history-changing sacrifice that Jesus made for mankind by taking the shape of the piece of wood that he bled to death on, rolling it into a thin dough and eating it on a raisin bun with a hefty layer of Lurpak on top. I sound satirical saying this..the truth is that I love hot crossed buns with my whole heart, so whilst scoffing the last one in the bread-bin I’ll write this and reflect on what part of the Easter story my attention is fixed upon this year (last year's is here if you're interested).

So, Barabbas. That’s what’s up. Barabbas was the robber (John 18:40) who was chosen to be set free by the crowd who were following Jesus’ trial. He was set free because they wanted Jesus to take his place and be arrested. And die. Jesus was innocent, Barabbas wasn’t. Jesus died, Barabbas lived. The meaning of the name Barabbas is ‘Son of the Father’. There they were, two Sons of the Father. And the innocent one - the Son of God, the only sinless person who ever has and ever will exist - took the place of the one who deserved punishment. The one who fell short. The one who looks a lot like me and you.

Normally when I read through the details of Jesus’ trial with Pontius Pilate, I picture myself amongst the angry crowd jeering at Him and making a mockery of who He is by the way they are treating Him. This has probably got something to do with the way I see sin and how I recognise what it looks like personified in front of Jesus, a revelation that I still need time after time. However, today when I was reflecting on this passage I focussed on Barabbas and tried to put myself in his sandals. I can’t imagine how he must have been feeling knowing that he was guilty and Jesus was innocent - perhaps it’s similar to how Lance Armstrong would have felt suing people who tried to reveal his cheating in his Tour de France races. Did Barabbas psych up the crowd with chants of ‘free Barabbas!’? Was he feeling guilty standing there with Jesus? Was he remorseful afterwards? Was he surprised at Pilate’s decision, and did he even think he made the right one? I realised in that moment that I not only relate to the crowd in this scene, but Barabbas. Jesus did not just take the place of Barabbas in that moment, but the place of every single one of us.

Imagine for a second that you are on trial against incredible, sinless, loving Jesus. He is on trial for telling the truth (that He is the Son of God) and your sins are public knowledge. Everyone knows what you’ve done and everyone knows that you’re guilty, and do not deserve a second chance because the chances are that you’ll sin again. And again. (Insert sin here…if you’re not a robber it could be a lie you told, it’s all the same to God). And again. However. The crowd in front of you want you to be free! They want to kill this perfect man next to you, who also wants you to be free. What are you supposed to think? If you are chosen over Him, you’ll die. But is it fair for Him to die for your crime? Have you done anything at all to deserve Him standing in the gap for you?

Of course it’s not fair. And knowing that must have been unbearable for Barabbas, no matter his view on who Jesus was. Whilst I like to think that after this ordeal Barabbas was filled with gratitude and vowed to turn his life around, inevitably he would have sinned again repeatedly through the day. As we all would have too. It was entirely necessary for Jesus to take the punishment for Barabbas, so that we also could pass our trials brought on by sin. So that He could take our punishments too. Jesus knows everything we’ve ever done and everything we ever will do against Him in our lives; every time we’ve made a mockery of who He is. But despite all of this, He’d still give up His innocent life for our sinful ones. Every time. So, just for today, I have less contempt for Barabbas because I see him as a kind of actor playing the role of undeserving me. There are far fewer differences between myself and him then perhaps I’d like to admit. My Jesus gave His life so Barabbas could live too. And every time I mess up the story doesn’t end at me in the crowd hurting and betraying Jesus with my sin, but it ends with Jesus graciously and benevolently taking my place so that I can live and know Him along the way. His sacrifice in dying for me has leaked into my scarlet sins like bleach and turned them as white as snow, so I can stand blameless with Him, just as butter spreads across a hot cross bun(?). Time to stop writing.